What would be smartest, most economical and 'best'?
Go for IPv6 capable switches straight away, or just get four cheap IPv4 switches?
IPv6 costs quite a bit more than a comparable IPv4. What would be the argument for and against either path?

22 Replies

I would go with some Cisco stackable ones. they come with IPv6 in all version as standard and excellent support with a Cisco TAC but you shouldn't have to worry about upgrading your network to ipv6 for a while.

I would go with some Cisco stackable ones. they come with IPv6 in all version as standard and excellent support with a Cisco TAC but you shouldn't have to worry about upgrading your network to ipv6 for a while.

I don't think the switch needs to be made now and a small private class c subnet serves for a lot of SMBs, however, I know I run solid state switches till they are dead, managed and unmanaged versions. I would invest in the IPv6 so I don't have to make an additional outlay of cash in the future should we want/need/have to go to IPv6 prior to the death of our current equipment.

I see three reasons to replace switches

They died (might replace all of them at once, or only the dead one)

They don't service your needs anymore i.e. need gig only have 10/100, or there aren't enough ports because switch is ok but some ports went bad

You are doing an overhaul of equipment or of the network because of refresh cycles, design changes, need requirements like managed capability etc....

Check out Netgear before you just rule them out. We're using them as FULLY stacked core switch (operates as one switch in multiple chassis, not just shared management). Firmware now supports IPv6, and all support included free for life.

Assuming these are for internal network and not public facing in anyway, don't waste the money just for IPv6. You don't need it internally.

For most of use small business (or schools in my case), anything that has "Cisco" written on it can safely be assumed to be outside of our budget. I've heard great things about the HP ProCurves, but I tend to put them in the same category as Cisco for the same reason - $$.

I use NetGear for all of my core/building switches. Currently using the GSM7328S and FSM7328S models (the FSM is 24 ports at 10/100 and 4 at 1gb; the GSM is 24 ports at 1gb and 4 at 10gb). I only remember calling support once and had a good experience with it. Great price.

I always thought of D-Link products at Home/SOHO products (I use their switches in my classrooms because they're the cheapest ones). However, I recently had a chance to see their newer products at a conference and I'm thinking I may need to reevaluate my opinion. I'll definitely be looking at them the next time I replace switches. Prices are comparable to or even less than NetGear's.

I know I get flamed for saying this, but if only hardware/price/performance is considered, then Cisco is way overpriced for what it does. I think the only edge Cisco currently has over the competition is loads of available training materials, network simulators, support community and good official support if one needs it (and that is no small thing in itself).

But if mainly hardware/price is considered I would not go for Cisco. 3Com/H3C (now part of HP Networking) has equal or better products out there for much better price (I think same goes for Juniper too to some extent). Over the last two years a lot of our network equipment has been replaced for various reasons. So we have done a thorough research and it always has come down to choosing between Cisco or 3Com. We had both before (and still have), and these are the only ones that have been rock solid and running without any problems. But in the end 3Com has won and we are heading to become mostly 3Com shop with some old Cisco and Procurve staying on.

But more specifically, when it comes to IPv6 I would not worry too much yet. Especially if there is no pressing need to implement it internally. But if you are going to buy new switches for expansion, then, of course, it is wise to buy IPv6 ready stuff. I would go for 3Com/H3C part of HP Networking portfolio (E4500, E4800 series, A series). You can try the HP Switch Selector to help you out (http://h17007.www1.hp.com/us/en/products/switches/selector/index.aspx). Personally I think IPv6 routing switches are still a bit on the pricey side.

I know I get flamed for saying this, but if only hardware/price/performance is considered, then Cisco is way overpriced for what it does. I think the only edge Cisco currently has over the competition is loads of available training materials, network simulators, support community and good official support if one needs it (and that is no small thing in itself).

I have heard much the same from most people I know (offline) in the industry. And the reasons that could justify paying for Cisco jusst does not apply to us.

For us it's usually better to just get a new switch and replace the old one than paying an arm and a leg for support that ultimately only gives you the benefit of a tech coming to replace the switch for you, free of charge. (but you have allready paid for it in a way)

Enterprise-class L3
Combining superior resiliency, enterprise-class security and non-blocking performance, the NETGEAR Stackable Gigabit Managed Switches, the GSM7328S and GSM7352S offer IPv4/IPv6 dynamic routing protocols such as OSPF, VRRP and multicast for converged applications with unsurpassed affordability. Together with VLANs routing, voice-class prioritization, and chassis-like stack with Layer 2+ PoE GSM7228PS / GSM7252PS or high-density fiber L3 GSM7328FS, the GSM7328S and GSM7352S series can be deployed at the enterprise edge, remote branch offices and closer to the core of small and medium-sized businesses’ growing networks.

High Availability
The NETGEAR Stackable Gigabit Managed Switches, the GSM7328S and GSM7352S come with a removable power module for the main power supply. In the event of a power supply failure, the switch can immediately shift to an external RPS device while the internal power module is replaced for 100% uptime. Like all NETGEAR ProSafe Managed Switches, the GSM7328S and GSM7352S are backed by the NETGEAR ProSafe Lifetime Warranty.

@MechanicalThinker - Ci$co is only worth the money IF you HAVE to do something that nothing else will do. Otherwise the training costs and lost time mucking about writing and debugging reams of config script (often by hand) soon wipe out any other advantage and they're VERY expensive. Great if you have a team of 50 network people with nothing else to do, otherwise forget it!

@Rune3280 - no worries, glad to help. I REALLY like that way the stacking & trunking works. Now they're using Ethernet (10/100/1000/10G) ports to stack the units together you can built a physically separated stack - i.e. in more that one rack / room / floor.... you can also make up trunk (bonds) from ports on more than one unit. for example we've got each of our VMware servers running 2 x 2Gb trucks to keep iSCSI and the LANs on separate trunks - each trunk is split across our two core switches (a 24 & 48 port of these units, but the older v1 models). if either switch should fail, lose power, etc the trunk will stay up as the port on the other unit will carry on working. This is something that is not possible with similar HP units which we've got.

FYI - for the distribution / edge layer we've just bought a number of these

and one of the non-POE as a cheaper unit for non-POE devices. These units stack using standard HDMI cables (yes weird I know!) which keep prices down and allows longer stacking cables than the older proprietary alternative. We've configured the stack and again the software and setup experience is good and something an SMB IT person should be able to do with only one cup of coffee - not a week of head-scratching. Now we just need to find time to kick everyone out of the office and rip & replace our existing kit.. that's about the only thing Netgear hasn't made easier ;-)